US to Consider Cellphone Use on Planes WSJ.com
go to original November 23, 2013

The Federal Communications Commission said it will soon propose allowing passengers to use their cellphones on airplanes, setting up a debate that will pit the technically possible against the socially tolerable.

While cellphone use would still be restricted during takeoff and landing, the proposal would lift an FCC ban on airborne calls and cellular-data use by passengers once a flight reaches 10,000 feet.

That would remove a regulatory hurdle to in-flight calls, but it would be up to the airlines themselves whether to allow them. Airlines have said they would approach the matter cautiously because of strong objections from their customers. The carriers also would have to install equipment on their planes to communicate with cellphone towers on the ground.

The Federal Aviation Administration said last month that it would allow expanded use of electronic devices during flights. Technical concerns about the airborne use of gadgets have faded. But the debate about the social merits of allowing people to make phone calls with a captive audience in the close confines of an airplane cabin promises to be vigorous. At least one FCC commissioner's office was flooded Thursday by negative reaction to the proposal, an aide said.

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